This week, Mitski dropped a highly anticipated single, titled “Love Me More”, accompanied by its own surrreal music video. This marks the fourth single to come from her upcoming Laurel Hell album, set for a February 4th release date via the Dead Oceans label. Akin to the previous singles from the upcoming album – “Working for the Knife,” “The Only Heartbreaker,” and “Heat Lightning” – the new track follows in the same disco-y footsteps as the previous, setting the tone for Laurel Hell as a relatively upbeat record. Watch the video for “Love Me More” below:

It is difficult to describe the level of anticipation for this release; Mitski had been on hiatus from 2018 to 2021, after a period of immense popularity following the release of the highly acclaimed Puberty 2. The aforementioned “Working for the Knife” single was her first in over a quarter of a decade, taken from the soon-to-be-released Laurel Hell, her first full-length album since 2018s Be the Cowboy. These four years must have felt especially long for fans of the Japanese-American artist, especially as half of them have been spent in the era of Covid.

Speaking of the lyrics from the new track, Mitski mentions that while some of “Love Me More”‘s lyrics were written pre-Covid, their meaning has taken a new form since the pandemic: “As ‘Love Me More’ was written pre-pandemic, lyrics like ‘If I keep myself at home’ had different meanings than what they would now, but I kept them on the album because I found that some of the sentiments not only remained the same, but were accentuated by the lockdown.”

The new video for “Love Me More” is, frankly, a strange yet beautiful one. The attention to set design is impeccable, the symbolism from her imagery is maniacally wonderful, and the 80s pulse drives the video with an urgent energy. The vibe is contagious, thus a perfect teaser for the new album.

Laurel Hell is served alongside a gargantuan North America and Europe tour, hitting a massive 55 dates with all but 3 sold out. See the tour dates below:

17/02  – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel – SOLD OUT
18/02  – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz – SOLD OUT
19/02  – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern – SOLD OUT
21/02  – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City – SOLD OUT
22/02  – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre – SOLD OUT
24/02  – Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall – SOLD OUT
25/02  – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum – SOLD OUT
26/02  – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater – SOLD OUT
28/02  – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren – SOLD OUT
02/03  – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Exposition Hall – SOLD OUT
03/03  – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Exposition Hall – SOLD OUT
04/03  – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater – SOLD OUT
05/03  – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater – SOLD OUT
07/03  – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – SOLD OUT
09/03  – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre – SOLD OUT
10/03  – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre – SOLD OUT
12/03  – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom – SOLD OUT
14/03  – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre – SOLD OUT
15/03  – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre – SOLD OUT
17/03  – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre – SOLD OUT
18/03  – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall – SOLD OUT
19/03  – Montreal, QC @ St-Jean-Baptiste Church – SOLD OUT
21/03  – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner – SOLD OUT
22/03  – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner – SOLD OUT
24/03  – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall – SOLD OUT
25/03  – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall – SOLD OUT
26/03  – Washington, DC @ The Anthem – SOLD OUT
27/03  – Washington, DC @ The Anthem – SOLD OUT
29/03  – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE – SOLD OUT
30/03  – Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall – SOLD OUT
31/03  – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium – SOLD OUT
21/04  – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory – SOLD OUT
22/04  – Leeds, UK @ University Union Refectory – SOLD OUT
23/04  – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom – SOLD OUT
25/04  – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street – SOLD OUT
26/04  – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy – SOLD OUT
28/04  – London, UK @ The Roundhouse – SOLD OUT
29/04 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton – SOLD OUT
30/04  – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique Festival – SOLD OUT
02/05 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix – SOLD OUT
03/05  – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia – SOLD OUT
04/05  – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso – SOLD OUT
06/05,  – Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten
07/05  – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks SOLD OUT
09/05  – Berlin, DE @ Metropol – SOLD OUT
10/05  – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega – SOLD OUT
11/05  – Stockholm, SE @ Fållan SOLD OUT
12/05  – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene SOLD OUT
14/05  – Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik – SOLD OUT
15/05  – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria – SOLD OUT
17/05  – Vienna, AT @ WUK – SOLD OUT
18/05  – Prague, CZ @ Archa Theatre – SOLD OUT
19/05  – Munich, DE @ Strom – SOLD OUT
02/07  – Stockholm, SE @ Lollapalooza Stockholm
16/09 – 18/09  – Los Angeles, CA @ Primavera Sound LA

See the artwork for Laurel Hell below: